The parents of a brain-damaged Jewish toddler have lost their appeal at a European court to stop a hospital withdrawing her life-support treatment.
Two-year-old Alta Fixsler’s parents are in a legal dispute with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said it would not intervene after a UK court ruled it was in her “best interests” to withdraw treatment.
As Hasidic Jews her parents had argued the hospital’s plans were against their Jewish faith and their rights as parents.
Her parents want to take her to an Israeli hospital or the United States, where she has been granted a visa because of her father’s US citizenship.
At the High Court in May, Mr Justice MacDonald said taking her abroad would expose her to “further pain”.
The family’s lawyer David Foster said:
“They are extremely disappointed.
It is a position no parent would like to find themselves in.
We are considering our next steps. The legal route has ended but it is still the case that an agreement could be reached.
We also believe that excessive weighting has been given to ‘causing pain’ as a factor in the decision.”
A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said:
“We recognise that this is an incredibly difficult and distressing time for Alta’s family, and we will continue to support them.
Due to patient confidentiality, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
